KREW

“What is exactly the work you offered? My last job was assistant—”

“I know.”

“How?” I could sense her clamping her mouth shut.

“I did a background check on you.” One big fat lie. But she didn’t have to know. “You’re a good girl. Not a single parking ticket? That's impressive. I wondered if it has something to do with the cop’s nephew?”

“I don’t think it’s any—”

I rose my gaze, drilling into hers. “Don’t fuck with me, River. You screwed me once, and I won’t let that happen again.” Asshole move, Krew. Jesus, how did I turn to be so presumptuous? Mom would not be so happy with me for how I acted toward a fine lady.

Her spine stiffened, face turned pale. She drew her bottom lip into her mouth. Damn, I’d love to be the one to do that. Christ! I shifted my gaze off of her, or I wouldn’t be able to drag it away any longer. River was like a Renaissance art. The more you kept it, the higher its value.

Fuck. Now, I’d fucked it up royally, and I could feel her slipping through my fingers, but I would not apologize for my action.

Denying would only make a piece of shit. There was something about River the first time I looked at her picture like a warmth filling my chest—a surge of protectiveness imbued inside me. It was always here somewhere deep down, until now.

Now that River was here, I should have done something—to impress her. Yet here I was, tragically failing. Instead, I was pissing her off for some stupid reasons—my little payback. Not that I could do anything about it--it was a human instinct, a defense mechanism.

Forget trying to impress her, Krew. Shit.

River was now my employee, and I would never fuck an employee. I had a code, and I had no intention of breaking it even if it was River lying naked in my bed. It was not that she wanted to or willing to, she made it pretty clear the first time. Besides, she was here to hide from that asshole who was frightening her to death.

“My PI is already working on your case. I hope you don’t mind me giving the authority to search and watch your apartment if in case your boyfriend would appear. I can call someone to inform your friend if you wish to know that you’re safe somewhere.”

“Thank you. He’s not my boyfriend, and he didn’t call. He just appeared out of nowhere—”

“It doesn’t matter now.” He wouldn’t be any longer if he was. “What matters is once we gather enough evidence to put your stalker in jail, you can have your life back, do things you want. As of now, everything you do is on my terms. You won’t go out of this house without my permission. The security agency I hired is adding cameras to my property as we speak. Your safety is crucial to me. Among other things. I promised my sister to keep you safe, and this is what I’m going to do whether you like it or not.”

“I can’t afford—”

“Not everything has a price tag, River,” I say drily. “Contrary to your fucking beliefs.”

She swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m—”

“Funny how three years of resentment had changed someone. You’ve been apologizing a lot since you arrived.”

“I was about to say I’m grateful.” A faint smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

“Whatever you say.” I lifted the bags from the floor and put them on top of the desk. “These are for you.” I pulled out two boxes from my drawer. “And these where you can start your job. You won’t call anyone except Krys and me. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“I need more than that.”

“Yes, sir. I won’t,” she replied quickly, almost comical.

“No social media.” She was just like Krystyn, posting anything the camera could capture, until two weeks ago.

“I get it. No social media, no calls, email to friends, and whatnot. I kinda Wikihow to get rid of stalkers, but he still managed to find me.”

“Not anymore. Hopefully, if you follow what I told you. And knowing that your stalker is a police captain’s nephew, it would be hard to get rid of him—”

“Get rid of him?”